


Garden of Joy

by Shinocchi



Category: DRAMAtical Murder - All Media Types, Lamento -BEYOND THE VOID-, Togainu no Chi, sweet pool
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Bittersweet, Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-03
Updated: 2018-08-03
Packaged: 2019-06-21 03:23:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,731
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15548529
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shinocchi/pseuds/Shinocchi
Summary: They only have one objective – to serve happiness.Some doors close, some doors open. But for all they know, it’s just an ending to a beginning.Inspired by mixx garden x n+c cafe collaboration: [Version 1,Version 2].





	Garden of Joy

**Author's Note:**

> I can’t help it. Thank you for this new universe.

**[** **S W E E T  T O O T H** **]**

 

The tiny cafe clustered amongst the huge city buildings, keeping it sheltered from the shadows of concretes. Hundreds of people rushed past its doorstep on a daily basis, a dozen would walk in and would be immediately greeted by sweet scent and the tiny tinkling of the bell on top of the door. Unlike the atmosphere on the outside, the interior of the cafe was filled with warmth and friendliness, pastel colors painted the walls and the bright light illuminating the best menus in the place. It didn’t need a luxurious room with the highest quality of food and drink to make the best out of one’s life. Take this cafe for example, it’s humble, it’s not humongous in size, and it served sweets and coffees to its best ability but, most important of all, it was always filled with laughter and smiles and the genuine interactions shared between waiters and customers made it hard to leave.

Of course, the credit goes to every single person that makes this happen and by that, it means the staff in the cafe. Every one of them.

The basket of donuts sat on the table, perfectly decorated and looking pleasingly delicious. The colors were a splendid match with the colors of the walls and the patterns swirled around the food made them all the more irresistible. Noiz wiped his hands clean after washing flour off them and came to stand by the table, where he could get a perfect view of the basket of good. He gave them a side-eye, looked away, then stared again, as if he was having a nonverbal conversation with a basket of inanimate object. 

He left soon after, wanting to retrieve his white gloves from the locker, then coming back to see a man standing at where he was standing just a minute ago.

“Are these ready?”

Tetsuo had a tray of pretty-looking tea set placed beside the basket. Noiz could tell he was staring at it as hard as he did before he interrupted his privacy and for all he knew, they were probably sharing the same line of thought. He wouldn’t say that he’s particularly close with Tetsuo. All he knew about the man was how his physique was a big deception to his age, how he’s one of the best staff in the cafe, and how… he adored sweet food in a way that would make jaws drop.

Noiz found out about it by total chance. In secret, he’d stock the kitchen with candies and junks just so he could grab a bite whenever he felt like it. It took him two days to realize that his stock had been running low faster than it should and for a period of time, he thought people had been smuggling food from the cabinet just because they were the only food there for them to eat. He didn’t mind, anyway. He’d just restock them and act like he knew nothing.

Well, saying he didn’t mind  _at all_  turned out to be a total lie to himself. His intention wasn’t at all malicious but he was curious. He wanted to know who could possibly share the same favor as he did and perhaps it’d be great for them moving forward if they could sit down and think about new recipes together. Noiz might be great with technology but he still had much to learn when it comes to hands-on skills, he’d admit that much. And, to his utmost surprise, he found Tetsuo munching on a bar of chocolate when he came in earlier for his shift. It was awkward. They shared eye contact for about fifteen minutes before Tetsuo took the half-eaten bar out of his mouth and attended to Noiz.

“It’s good,” was all he said before he broke the last two pieces of the chocolate in his hands and gave them to Noiz, who could only stare at him as he walked out of the kitchen.

Ever since then, they never spoke about their chance encounter over the chocolates. And today, they were once again held in a place where sweet food was present, both of them certain that they were both thinking about the same thing before they had each other in their presence.

“Did you make this?” Tetsuo asked after a long silence.

Noiz nodded. “First time. Shouldn’t be too bad.”

He wasn’t expecting an answer from Tetsuo and clearly, Tetsuo wasn’t planning to give him any too. Merely staring at the basket, they shared mutual silence until Noiz decided to break the ice again.

“Do you want to try?”

Tetsuo looked at him, as expressionless as ever. Seeing how hesitant he was, Noiz took the initiative to pick up one of the lime-green-colored donuts and started munching on it. 

Like he said, it wasn’t too bad.

Tetsuo was about to follow suit when the kitchen door burst open, revealing Aoba, who’d rushed into the kitchen and broke into a wide grin the moment he noticed Tetsuo and Noiz.

“Great timing! I thought I wouldn’t find anyone here!”

Completely ignoring both Noiz and Tetsuo’s surprised look, he put something like a blue round cake on the table and placed his hands on his waist.

“Tadaaa! My newest cupcake!”

Tetsuo and Noiz leaned closer to take a better look. It was a cupcake, alright. And it also looked strangely like…

“I thought Ren would make a great cupcake. The customers will love him!”

They wouldn’t say that they’re surprised. Besides, Aoba did a great job with the cupcake; Ren looked really cute, indeed. And it’s not like they had the heart to pop his bubbles when he’s being so proud about it either. 

“Oh, aren’t you two supposed to be preparing the new recipes too?” Aoba asked; he seemed to have finally noticed who he was really talking to. “Is that it? …Noiz, what’s in your hand?”

Noiz threw the remaining of the donut into his mouth and munched a mouthful of it without answering while Tetsuo pretended to be fiddling with his tea set as Aoba came close.

“Did you just eat the food we’re supposed to serve?” Aoba glared suspiciously at Noiz’s direction.

“I was tasting it,” Noiz said. The donut was great. Too bad they had to be served. Maybe next time he could share with Aoba too. When they weren’t meant to be served for the customers.

“Uhuh,” Aoba perked an eyebrow.

“I can help you with that,” Noiz offered as he reached a hand towards Tetsuo’s tray, escaping from Aoba’s judging gaze. “Preparing this kind of tea is more of my thing.”

“Are you sure, Noiz?” Aoba raised a high tone. “Aren’t you the one who tried really hard to learn donut recipes after you’d tried it at my house? Donuts are all you that serve.”

“They’re good,” Noiz retorted as he helped Tetsuo with the teacups arrangement without looking at Aoba.

“Your cupcake looks good too,” Tetsuo interrupted in an effort to save the situation.

“Why, thank you,” Aoba’s grin returned to his face. “I’d have to serve this now, unfortunately. You two can follow me when you’re ready.”

“Sure,” Tetsuo nodded. With that said, Aoba left the kitchen.

“Are we in trouble?” Tetsuo asked when the kitchen door was closed, leaving both him and Noiz alone in the space.

“Don’t think so,” Noiz shrugged. “The basket will be on the table and the food will only be chargeable when the customer takes them. No one will notice we’re missing one.”

Tetsuo didn’t say anything. While Noiz did a final check on his tea set, he had his eyes set on the basket, as if expecting something. That gesture didn’t escape Noiz’s eagle-eye.

“…You can take one more if you want. No one will notice.”

And of course, no one will notice the mutual sweet tooth they both were, besides themselves. Things just sort of worked out for them after all.

 

**[** **H O L D  Y O U R  T O N G U E** **]**

 

Anyone who’d seen Mink for the first time would universally agree that he’s rather, well, not-so-warm. It’s not anyone’s fault, really. Certainly not Mink’s. And everyone in the cafe was just a bit intimidated by the deep frown and huge physique and everything that could easily remind them of a champion boxer who could easily crush their neck and slam their head into the nearest desk. A bit exaggerated, but that’s what imagination did to everyone, isn’t it? It took time to warm up to Mink and they tried hard. Even if Mink wasn’t one to express it very well,  _he_  tried hard too. And when the moment came when one was to share a room with Mink it was always a challenge – or an opportunity, as Aoba would like to put it – to get to know the big-man better and hopefully, to become friends with him. 

Such moment came for Zenya and Clear when they found themselves sharing the same space as Mink, who was arranging what seemed to be baked round biscuits in a basket when the duo walked into the room, speaking to each other as they did.

“Why won’t you eat dessert before you eat your main course?”

“Why would I? It’s dessert for a reason!”

Mink merely lifted a curious eye when they walked in. They clearly noticed him; Clear waved with a bright grin on his face and Zenya would’ve done the same if he hadn’t been heated over how wrong it was for Clear to eat dessert first before he started on his main course.

“Let’s ask Mink, then. Mink!”

Mink straightened himself and watched while Zenya came hopping towards him. Now that he was looking at them, he noticed that Zenya was holding a drink in his hand and Clear a pudding in his own.

“Would you eat dessert first or the main course first?” Zenya had come face-to-face with Mink by then. It took a few moments for Mink to understand what he was asking; not like he wasn’t aware of the conflict, but it was so… unnecessary that he couldn’t process it in time.

“Follow the menu,” he said in a gravelly voice as he went back to attending to his mountain of biscuits. “If it says the main course first, then the main course first.”

“But it’s a matter of preference too, isn’t it?!” Clear bounced towards them. “Like this pudding. It looks yummy. I’ll eat it first before I start on my steak if I want.”

“But that’s wrong, it’s incompetent,” Zenya retorted.

“How is that so?” Clear pouted, the pudding shook a tad from his hand movement.

“If you don’t follow the social norm, you’ll be discriminated by the society!”   
“Well, it’s not like I’m part of  _you guys_  anyway,” Clear huffed. “There’s no need to fit in if I don’t want to!”

“I know what you mean but… don’t you, you know, want to fit in?”  
Every ounce of motion in the room froze with Zenya’s last word. All that was present was the delicious scent from Mink’s biscuits and the vague voices outside the door that was people walking down the corridor.

“There’s nothing I can do if I’m not born for it, isn’t it?” the smile returned to Clear’s face as he spoke. “I just have to live with it.”

“It’s unfair, though!” Zenya debated. “Who set these rules anyway? Who said–”

“Aren’t you all fighting over if dessert should be eaten first? Focus,” Mink growled with a deep frown in between his eyebrows, effectively doing its job.

“Right…” Zenya stuttered. “Well then–”

“Hey, you guys are here!”

Mink heaved an unintended sigh of relief. Aoba, always saving the day. Bless his existence.

“I was wondering if I’d see anyone along the way but I’m glad I checked here!”

Completely oblivious towards what they might’ve been doing when he hadn’t crashed into the room, Aoba took quick steps towards the three of them and placed his Ren cupcake on the table.

“I made a Ren cupcake. Cute, isn’t it?”

Clear immediately rained praises down the food while Zenya inched close as if trying to steal a lick without Aoba noticing. Mink, however, gave the cupcake a sideway stare and returned to counting his biscuits.

“Mink, what do you think?”

But of course, it’d be naive of him if he was expecting his lack of response to slip under Aoba’s eyes so he spoke what came into his mind first, despite knowing that’s not what he would’ve said if he could.

“Good.”

“Glad you think so!”

Aoba, however, didn’t question his one-word respond. He accepted it with a genuine grin on his face and went on to talk about how the customers would love it and how he can’t wait to serve it. Mink made a mental note to restock some rainbow sprinkles in Aoba’s pantry, just in case, well, he needed to use them for the next Ren he was to make.

“By the way, Aoba, what do you think? Would you eat dessert before the main course or after the main course?”

Seems like the argument won’t go anywhere without a third opinion, huh? Or just, any kind of answer that would satisfy both Zenya and Clear.

“You mean like if I would eat Clear’s pudding first or Mink’s biscuits first?” Aoba tilted his head, thinking the question through.

“Not exactly it, but something like that,” Zenya nodded while Clear gazed enthusiastically at Aoba’s direction.

“Hmm… I don’t know. I mean, why choose? Can’t I eat both at the same time? One biscuit, one spoon of pudding, one biscuit, one– well, you get my point. I need to go! Thanks for having me, guys! I still have to show this to everyone else before I serve it.”

Just like that, Aoba picked his cupcake up again and left the room, his footsteps could be heard scurrying down the corridor in the quiet room.

“As expected from Aoba-san…” Clear scratched his cheek with a bitter smile on his face.

“We need more people like Aoba in the world.”

Mink agreed. But he’s not going to voice it out loud. His biscuits needed more attention at the moment. For now.

It’s just another day in the cafe anyway.

 

**[** **S I P  T H A T  T E A** **]**

 

Koujaku was one of the most elegant men he’d come to know. Sounds surreal, he knows. Because Koujaku was tall and his physique was great and all that everyone knew about him was a man who was nothing but courageous and brash and nothing that fit into what Aoba had described of him. But Aoba saw a different man under those deceptions. It was his privilege as his childhood friend, and he could surely say it loud and proud – that Koujaku was an elegant man.

Under that great physique lied a genuine, gentle heart. Beneath those exaggerated, sometimes even a bit harsh body gestures spelled of nothing but good intentions. It’s not like Koujaku could help it, to be fair. He was charming, that goes without saying, and he knew how to use his charm to the best of its advantage. But what really shone through him were those small actions and trivial decisions he made that had become a lethal changing factor to how his impression could’ve been.

There were things only Aoba knew, and there were always times when Aoba loved to put his knowledge into testing – like now. When he left the preparation room where Mink, Clear, and Zenya were, Aoba had bumped right into his childhood friend when he turned a corner, who seemed to be speaking to a troubled-looking Youji.

Perfect timing.

“Koujaku!”

Koujaku turned around at the call of his name, his ever-so-wide grin already plastered on his face as if automated.

“Aoba! Thought you’re already in the serving room,” Koujaku’s loud voice echoed throughout the quiet corridor while Youji nodded at Aoba.

“I’m on my way there,” Aoba confirmed. “You too?”

“Yup. Met Youji on my way and thought of giving him some tips about the difference between red tea and Japanese tea if customers ask.”

“Koujaku was a great help,” Youji praised. “I’m not very well-versed with tea so…”

“Me neither,” Aoba supported. “But I didn’t know our Big Brother here is a fan of tea…”

He ended his sentence with a suspicious yet playful look at Koujaku’s direction, immediately earning a thin frown in between Koujaku’s eyebrows.

“You’re judging me, aren’t you? Not to toot my own horn, Aoba, but there are still a lot of things that you have still yet to learn from me, you know?”

“Is that so?” Aoba perked an eyebrow. “Even when I’m your childhood friend, the person who should know the most about you?”

“The most, not everything,” Koujaku corrected.

“I thought you’ve always been a sake person. You fit that impression better.”

“I’m an adult, of course I’d drink. But tea is a totally different concept. It’s art and culture and a lot of things,” Koujaku defended.

“You’re not the only adult here,” this time, it’s Aoba’s turn to frown. “The last I remember, I don’t drink as much as you.”

“Let’s not be a bad influence to Youji here, shall we?” Koujaku raised his voice, slinging a hand around Aoba’s neck to stop him from saying more. “We’re supposed to talk about tea, you know, the beauty of culture.”

“Sure,” Aoba brushed him off with an impassive expression

“By the way…”

Sensing that their banter had come to an end, Youji spoke, eyes fixed on the cupcake in Aoba’s hands.

“Did you make this, Aoba?” 

All of a sudden, the mood in the room took a ninety-degree change. Aoba pushed Koujaku’s hand off his neck, launched towards Youji, and shoved the cupcake under Youji’s nose with both hands, his eyes glimmered with the brightest hope in the universe, and his voice when he responded to Youji’s question made him sound like he’s the happiest person in the world.

“Isn’t he cute? It’s my first time making a cupcake and I thought I should make a cute one and the cutest model in the world is none other but Ren! He’s so fluffy, like the cupcake, and so friendly, don’t you think? He’s definitely going to sell like hotcakes!”

“There he goes again…” Koujaku sighed heavily as he shook his head.

“I… I see.” Youji was clearly taken aback but he managed to lift a small smile on the corners of his lips. “Ren is indeed very adorable. I believe you have made the right choice.”

“Awww, I didn’t know you like dogs too!”

“Actually, I prefer fish but–”

“Dogs, or rather,  _Ren_ , is truly a national treasure. He can be so many things! Cupcake is just the first step. I want to make a Ren-flavored drink, a Ren pie, Ren cookies…”

“Ren-flavored drink…?” Youji wondered under his breath.

“What does Ren even taste like?” Koujaku, unlike Youji, asked out loud.

“Sweet, of course!” Aoba was quick to answer, noticing no sarcasm to Koujaku’s question.

“Don’t tell me you taste him before,” Koujaku gave him an intentionally disgusted look.

“I don’t need to,” Aoba said, all proud. “I can tell just by looking at him.”

“Sure,” Koujaku muttered; he seemed all ready to drop the conversation.

“Blueberry…?” Youji pondered openly, still trying to make sense of what Aoba might be implying.

“I’d advise you not to probe further, Youji, we won’t hear the end of it,” Koujaku patted Youji on the shoulder, an attempt to save him.

“Don’t worry, both of you will get to taste it when I get to it,” Aoba nodded fervently, eyes searing enthusiastically at his newly marked targets.

“Don’t you have somewhere you need to go, Aoba?” Koujaku interrupted loudly.

 “Youji and I have a lot more to talk about tea still. Right, Youji?”

“Y-Yeah,” Youji agreed in a stutter upon noticing Koujaku’s exaggerated wink. 

“Please go ahead without us, Aoba, we’ll be right behind you.”

“Alright! I might be able to show this to more people along the way!”

With that said, Aoba hopped his way down the corridor, humming happily while Koujaku and Youji stared at his leaving back, standing rooted on the spot. 

“Aoba is… really something, isn’t he?” Youji said carefully, sounding both amused and terrified.

“He is,” Koujaku sighed, scratching the back of his head. “He’s not bad, he’s just a bit too excited when it comes to Ren. But…”

With a pause, Koujaku smiled at the corner where Aoba disappeared before he continued,

“That’s what good about him too, I guess.”

Youji must’ve agreed with him too. In fact, Koujaku was sure that everyone else would agree with him. Because, without Aoba, they’d never be as alive as they were now. So sure, they can totally and willingly taste everything Aoba was to make.

Even if that meant risking their life while they’re at it.

 

 

**[** **M I N D  Y O U R  M A N N E R S** **]**

 

It wasn’t hard to locate the memory from the back of his head. He remembered the day when he picked the dirty, blue-furred puppy home like it was yesterday, buried in the midst of garbage, abandoned. He wasn’t sure if he’d ever find him if Ren hadn’t been giving out a similar vibe that reminded him painfully of himself. Probably not. Or perhaps he’d probably never find Ren if he didn’t decide to waste another day in the alley. There were lots of possibilities but those no longer mattered; what mattered was that he found Ren, and in turn, both of them had evolved into existences that were far from being abandoned, lost, and hopeless.

After long minutes of making sure that he’d shown his cupcake to every single person who’d listen to him, Aoba finally made his steps towards the serving counter, the final stop before he sent his food out. Little did he know that this very stop ended up giving him the full stop to his cupcake journey.

“It’s pretty simple. When you put the food on their table, give them a big smile. Then you say ‘here’s your food, please enjoy your meal’. Try to be gentle about it, we don’t want to sound like we’re forcing people to eat our food, even though we know they’re good. Now, how about you try it yourself?”

Makoto had lifted a wide grin himself at the end of his words. Ren looked slightly troubled. He hesitated for mere seconds before he attempted the exact same gesture, causing Makoto to laugh out loud.

“That’s so rigid! You need more practice, Ren!”

“It’s… I’m not used to this,” Ren fidgeted.

“Not used to smiling or serving guests?”

“Both,” Aoba interrupted, announcing his presence at the same time.

“Aoba,” Ren acknowledged, breaking into the small smile Aoba was used to see.

“Now, that’s a natural one,” Makoto pointed out. “Can’t you do that to others too?”

“Cut him some slack, Makoto, he’s trying,” Aoba waved his hand at Makoto’s direction with a playful smile of his own before he turned towards Ren. “Take your time, alright? You don’t have to think too much. Just put the food on the table, bow a little, and ask our customers to enjoy the meal. That’s all. If you can’t smile, don’t force yourself. Just do whatever you feel like doing.”  
Ren nodded as Aoba ruffled him on his hair.

“Aw man, you two remind me of me and Meri,” Makoto said loudly, eyes fixed on the pair.

“Meri?” Aoba asked.

“My dog. Pretty cute, big… Yeah. I do that to him too when I praise him,” Makoto explained.

“I see,” Aoba suppressed a giggle. “Well, how’s Meri been doing then?”

“Pretty good. I treat him better than myself, you know,” Makoto said proudly.

“That’s good to hear. I used to– or more like, I have a dog too. Right, Ren?” Aoba said, nudging Ren on the rib while he did.

“Yeah,” Ren confirmed.

“He’s the best thing that has ever happened to me. Oh, speaking of that!” As if finally remembering why he was here in the first place, Aoba lifted his Ren cupcake up and showed it to both Makoto and Ren. “I did it, Ren! I think it came out nicely! It looks just like Ren!”

“W-Wait, hold on a second,” Makoto raised a hand, stopping Aoba from speaking further. “Ren? You mean,  _Ren_?” Quirking a suspicious eye at Ren’s direction, his gaze shifted back to the cupcake, then at Ren again. “ _How are both of these similar_?”

“He means our dog, Ren,” Ren smiled gently, his gaze on the Aoba’s cupcake fond and endearing.

“Okay, so, you have a dog named Ren,” Makoto repeated, trying to make sense of things. “And you’re Ren. So that means you have two Rens.”

“You can put it that way, yeah,” Aoba nodded. “Forget about that, what do you think? Is it cute?”

“It’s cute. I bet girls will like it.”

“Great!” Aoba grinned wider. “I thought it’s another flop when I accidentally added an extra spoon of cream. But I’m so happy with how it looks like when I took it out of the oven.”

“Aoba did a good job,” Ren praised. “I’m sure Ren will like it too.”

“Haha! I hope so! … Feels kind of surreal, isn’t it? To have a new person between us.”

Ren didn’t respond immediately; he seemed to be contemplating Aoba’s question, trying to understand what he was implying.

“Aoba doesn’t like that?” he asked at long last, putting out what he thought made the most sense.

“Hmm? Oh, no, no! I don’t mean it like that!” Aoba said frantically. He put the cupcake on the table, then grasped Ren’s hands in his. “Sorry, I might’ve worded it weirdly. I was just speaking out loud. You know… well, in the past, Ren – you, I mean – is everything I have. And now that you’re… well, you know, and with the dog, it feels weird to suddenly have a lot of things like this; feels too much, kinda…? Argh, I don’t know how to put it into words.”

“It’s okay,” Ren interrupted with a firmer clutch on Aoba’s hands. “I understand.”

“You do?”

Ren nodded. “But it’s the truth. Aoba is here with me, and I’ll be here with Aoba too, with Ren, too. We’ll always be together.”

Aoba was taken aback for just a short while before he broke into a small chuckle.

“You’re right. That’s enough. Well then!”

Trying to break himself off the sloppy emotions he’d accidentally put them in, Aoba pulled his hands off Ren’s and clapped his palms together. 

“It’s about time I show the world how amazing my Ren can be! You ready, Ren?”

“Of course,” Ren beamed, picking up his own plate of cake at the same time.

“We’ll be right behind you too.”

Surprised at the new voice, Aoba turned around.

Everyone – Noiz, Tetsuo, Mink, Zenya, Clear, Koujaku, Youji – are all standing close to him, their best creation in their hands, and all looked ready to serve them.

“Awesome!” Aoba greeted, smiling wider than before. “Let’s make more pleasant memories for our customers then, shall we?”

It was a vow he’d committed from the moment he was to claim the mantle for his existence, greeting everyone who’d entered this cafe – their world – the best experience he can offer.

It’s a promise they’d made for us. As long as we continued to have faith in them, they’ll always be there, greeting us home, like we’d never left before.

 

**[** **S** **W** **E** **E** **T** **&** **S** **O** **U** **R** **]**

 

Since early in the morning, the cafe had been buzzing with noise and footsteps, coupled with the pleasant scent of baking cakes and mixing beverages. On the second floor, a room at the end of the corridor filled a group of cats, getting ready for their day by suiting themselves up with what seemed to be their outfit for the day.

Rai was the quickest to get himself ready, now leaning against the wall with his arms crossed and eyes closed, patiently and quietly waiting for the rest. Unlike him, both Konoe and Asato were entirely new to this whole dressing-up matter and had been struggling not to mix up each other’s outfit despite being the earliest to wake up for the occasion. Bardo had since then been helping them up, starting with a good laugh when he walked into the room an hour later than them, just to find them entangled in ropes and wearing layers all in the wrong places.

“Just stay put,” Bardo instructed to a pouting Konoe, who had his arms raising sideways while Bardo tied a knot around his waist, securing his inner clothing in place.

“Pass me the belt,” Bardo spoke again after a brief moment and Asato came throttling into sight with Konoe’s belt.

“You look good, Konoe,” Asato praised with a smile, tiny fangs peeking from the gap of his lips as his eyes traveled up and down Konoe’s entire outlook.

“Thanks. I’ll get to you later, don’t worry,” Konoe pulled a weak smile, just to be responded by a loud laugh from Bardo.

“You? You can’t even pull your cape together.”

“I’ve learned how to do it,” Konoe growled.

“I’ll help you later, Asato,” Bardo winked at Asato’s direction, ignoring Konoe’s tensed up ears.

“I want Konoe to help me,” Asato was quick to defend as he gave Bardo a frown.

“Wow, teaming up as usual, I see. But we don’t have time for this now. We’re expected at the kitchen in half an hour and if we don’t get this done by then, we will have cakes as dark as Asato’s chocolate cake.”

“What’s wrong with that?” Asato pondered, expression relaxed and replaced by a curious gaze.

“Nothing’s wrong with that,” Konoe raised his voice while Bardo snapped his belt securing around his waist. “Chocolate cakes are meant to be dark.”

“But not your vanilla cakes,” Bardo fought back. “Imagine the look on our customers’ face when they get a roasted cake instead of the sweet vanilla cakes they ordered…”

“Cut the crap and hurry up already,” Rai’s voice rang from a corner, sounding both impatient and annoyed.

“And there goes the other one,” Bardo muttered under his breath. “You’re done. C’mon right here, Asato. It’s your turn.”

“I want Konoe to–”

“Fine, fine, Konoe, help him out with his cape, will you? You said you learned, now show me what you can do.”

It took a while but they got to the kitchen at the nick of time when the oven gave out a loud beep.

“Right on time!” Bardo rushed towards the oven, grabbed the mitten glove hanging above it, and tucked it on his own hand before he pulled the oven door open. In an instant, sweet fragrance filled the room while Asato and Konoe ran to grab plates and Rai set the cutleries ready on the table.

“Grab your own food, people,” Bardo called out. His hands were full with his own creation, towering and looking all delicious. “Just need some good honey on them and they’re good to go.”

“Ouch!”

“Konoe, are you okay?” Asato said hurriedly.

“Yeah, I’m fine. Just didn’t expect it to be so hot.”

“Of course it’ll be. What have you been thinking?” Rai snapped.

“Fine, I’m careless. Happy?” Konoe groaned at Rai’s direction.

Rai shrugged and pulled his own vanilla cake out of the oven. It looked beautiful and perfectly pure-white, a color that could compete with the color of his own tail and ears.

“Asato, you doing okay there?” Konoe asked once he had his own plate out of the cooking; it was white like Rai’s but with a red layer in between.

“I’m okay,” Asato responded, already taking his own chocolate cake out. “Konoe, yours looks tasty.”

“So does yours,” Konoe chuckled in response.

“Is that Kuim in the middle?” Asato continued asking, staring at the middle layer.

“Yeah, it is. Now I all need to do is add the piece of Kuim I’ve cut yesterday on top of it and it’s ready to go,” Konoe said excitedly.

“You’re so predictable,” Rai commented, sounding as dismissive as usual.

“Excuse me? It’s common sense to serve the best food if you want to make a living out of it.”

“Konoe’s right,” Asato defended.

“What makes you think a dark-colored food makes a pleasant menu?” Rai scoffed.

“Hey, what’s wrong with chocolate?” Konoe fought.

“Chocolate’s tasty,” Asato followed.

“Cut it out, all of you!” Bardo roared, his loud voice echoed around the kitchen, causing both Konoe and Asato to jump a little out of surprise. “We don’t have much time left. Hurry up and do your final touch up before we serve them.”

Obediently, all three of them headed to the counter and finish up what’s left of their touch up while Bardo lifted his plates off the table and walked towards the door.

“Wait, you done?” Konoe asked with a surprised tone.

“Unlike someone, I’m more focused with the matter on hands than the unnecessary distractions. You better get your food done before we get screamed at,” Bardo said after a loud sigh.

Without another word, he pushed the door open and was about to leave the kitchen when he stopped in his steps and turned around to look at all of them again.

“Pancakes are the best, by the way. Now move on.”

And he left, leaving the rest of them staring at the door, wondering what’s up with him.

 

  
**[** **C** **L** **O** **S** **U** **R** **E** **]**

 

The loud trampling noise on the hallway had both Motomi and Nano stopped what they’re doing, staring at the closed door out of amusement.

“Gotta get used to this sooner or later,” Motomi said, half-joking. He returned to pouring what seemed like green liquid into tall glasses, all the while munching on the cigarette in between his lips.

“You done there?” he called out to Nano when his attempt of striking up a conversation rolled into demise.

Nano looked up from his tray of red tea, stared Motomi in the eyes with one of his oh-so-usual dismissive look, and back at his tea again.

“What’s the matter? Tough time?” Motomi asked, putting down his own beverage and walking over to check Nano out.

“Looks fine,” he said upon taking a good look at what Nano’s been working on. “So why’s the long face?”

“Weird,” Nano said, voice vibrating of profound deepness, the depth it hitting Motomi in the eardrums.

“Weird? The tea?”

“You.”

Motomi’s jaw dropped, surprised. He’s been called many things, but it’s been a while and having someone outright called him weird brought some memories back from the past that he was still trying to leave behind.

“You think so?” Motomi responded, hiding behind a loud, fake laugh. “Guess I really am. But I can say the same to you too, you know?”

“You were in the lab. You were with Akira,” Nano continued as if he hadn’t heard what Motomi was saying.

“Yeah, I was. You were too, remember?” Motomi said, sounding less lighthearted as before as if he was gritting every word out of his teeth.

Nano looked away. He stared fixedly at his tea for one wild minute, leaving Motomi to wonder if he should ignore him and just go back to what he was doing before he cooked up another half-desperate conversation with a man he’d once thought of putting down.

“It’s weird,” was all Nano said before he returned to fixing the teapot’s position on his already perfectly laid out tray.

“Look,” Motomi said, completely distracted by where the conversation was heading to with an urging need to get rid of the tight knot on his chest. “I know we have had our pasts. But that’s the past. It’s over. Gone. No more. Alright? I know we have had our differences, things that we can’t control, different positions, whatever you want to call it. But don’t you think it’s time to move on?”

If Nano was surprised by whatever Motomi had just rolled onto him he wasn’t showing it on his face. Still expressionless, he returned Motomi’s gaze again, simply staring without another word.

“I know what you wanted to do,” he said, monotone and calm.

“Yeah, yeah, I knew you’d bring that up sooner or later. I wanted to kill you, I’ll admit to that. But I don’t want to do that now. I’m over it. It’s peaceful now until if you pull some sort of virus spreading around town, I think we’re all good. Or, are you thinking of…”

Motomi raised a suspicious eyebrow as he pulled the cigarette from his mouth and stared penetratingly at Nano’s direction.

“…You want revenge? Putting me down instead before I become a threat?”

For the first time ever, Motomi saw a small smile at the corners of Nano’s lips, which did nothing but raise his danger instinct. He took a step back but Nano had gone back to arranging the cutleries before he could pull the nearest chair over for defense, just in case.

“Revenge. Nicole Premier. Line. All those are in the past,” Nano said, sounding as monotone as ever.

“Right,” Motomi trailed, spelling the word as if it was taking his entire energy from him. “…Right. Glad you’re on our side then.”

Nano shook his head then. “I’m on the side of life. You.” He gave Motomi a sideways stare, having Motomi to inch his hand towards the chair again. “You were with Akira.”

“Yes, I did…?” Motomi answered carefully.

“You took care of him. Protected him.”

“Well… Yeah, I did that too. He’s a child.”

Nano looked away. “Then it’s all good.”

Motomi couldn’t tell exactly what Nano was implying no matter how hard he tried to make sense of it. It’s not unusual. He was never able to tell what Nano was up to and if he’s a friend or a foe but he was certain that he’s not alone in this. Nano seemed to only open up to Akira, which was all understandable and reasonable but the problem here was he was opening up to Akira. Akira was, well, not the best person when it came to understanding people. Motomi was sure many could agree on that too.

Anyway, now that he was certain that Nano wasn’t going to split blood on him and disintegrate him from within, Motomi returned to the workstation, feeling a bit lighter now as he continued to work on his drink.

“I’ve always liked red tea better,” he spouted, simply letting words dribble off his tongue without any idea of where he’s leading to. “Thicker flavor. These, however,” he flicked a finger on one of the full glass with a small chuckle. “thick, too, sure. But not the kind of thick I like.”

“Do you want to exchange?” Nano asked, which resulted in a loud laugh from Motomi.

“Nah, it’s fine. I guess that’s why I’m appointed to this. So I can learn how to appreciate it.”

He paused, stealing a quick look at Nano before the other could spot it then continued with a hint of a smile hiding in between his words.

“Like how I did you. Or rather, life, I suppose.”

“That’s Akira’s job,” Nano answered rather flatly.

Motomi laughed out loud.

“I suppose you’re right.”

He didn’t suppose so, he knew Nano was right. Because if Akira hadn’t thrown his trigger off back then, he was sure that he’d never get to know another life just because he was too deluded by his own fear and a false sense of justice. It’s ironic how the once-destruction had taken on the mantle of life now but he supposed he could get used to it with time. Death stands side by side with life after all, isn’t it?

 

**[** **S** **Q** **U** **E** **E** **Z** **E** **T** **H** **E** **M** **O** **U** **T** **]**

 

“Okay, just one more drop and it should be good.”

Akira did as he was told, carefully pinching the lemon and watched as the droplet of water dribbled into the water before he released what sounded like a relieved sigh.

“You’re doing great!” Keisuke broke into a bright grin, something that never failed to remind Akira of a dog with a wagging tail.

“That’s because Keisuke taught me well. With patience.”

He still refused to believe that the cart of wasted lemons hidden in one of the storeroom now was okay, despite what Keisuke had consistently assured of him.

“No, no, it’s because Akira is–” Keisuke stumped in the middle of his sentence, having seen Akira’s sharp gaze. “–I, I mean, Akira is willing to learn, so…”

“I have no option. It’s job.” And at this time, being given a job sounded too much like a myth of its own, considering their shady pasts.

“Akira is adapting well,” Keisuke continued, now sounding less excited, but gentle all the same.

“Adapting? To what?”

“Changes. A new world,” Keisuke answered.

Akira shrugged. Keisuke wasn’t wrong. Time has changed; if they didn’t adapt to changes, changes will erode them. And there’s no way Akira would let that happen. He surely didn’t need a repetition of history.

“How have you been doing yourself?” he shifted the focus onto Keisuke, which had Keisuke drew up an awkward smile as he scratched the back of his head.

“Great, I guess…? Still trying to get used to stuff and all.”

“I mean your food,” Akira said, monotone.

“Oh, right,” Keisuke stuttered, red stretching to the tips of his ears. He stirred his own beverage for a bit, letting the ingredient blend better then pulled up a grin again. “All good.”

Akira nodded in response. Change happened, yeah. But he guessed there were some things that are not meant to be changed after all. Like how Keisuke was still as awkward as usual when it came to him and how he seemed to never take Akira’s advice to focus more on himself than Akira into proper consideration.

“By the way, Akira…”

Akira looked up from his newly brewed lemonade at Keisuke, just to find him staring at the sliced lemons Akira had been preparing out of sheer boredom.

“Can I, erm, have one of those?” Keisuke asked, pointing at them.

“Sure,” Akira said simply.

“Thanks! Thought I can put one on my glass, makes it look more presentable.”

“I think yours is presentable enough already,” Akira commented without a second thought.

“T-Thank you,” Keisuke mumbled. He seemed like he was about to say something and Akira honestly didn’t need him to. He could already tell from the way Keisuke was staring at his own setup; it’s bound to be a compliment for his own food for sure.

But lucky for him, they were interrupted by a loud shriek in the corner of the room, followed by waves of arguments. Akira let out a deep, loud sigh.

“I told you before! This is a kitchen! You’re working in a cafe! There’s no threat! You don’t have to bring that cursed katana into a place where people eat!”

Rin was screaming his lungs out as he stared pointedly at Shiki, who was giving him a judgemental sideway glare, his great sword in his hand. Keisuke shot Akira a look, which Akira took, but was quick to return his gaze to the fighting pair.

“The sword comes with me. No sword, no me,” Shiki said with ice-cold voice, as if he was chanting the natural.

“Right, I’d have no objections at all if you’re gone. For good.”

“It won’t do for us,” Akira voiced out, announcing his presence. “He’s hired to be part of our team. Like it or not, we’re stuck with him.”

“There won’t be any troubles if you don’t cause one,” Shiki threw a glare at Rin’s direction, who was still stomping his feet.

“Says the trouble,” Rin gritted through his teeth.

“G-Guys… don’t you think we have more important things to focus on? Like… our food?” Keisuke suggested carefully, trying hard not to step on a bomb field.

“I’m done with mine, anyway. But his sword is so distracting I’m– argh! I’ll go check if anything weird falls into my ice-cream.”

“Shiki, why do you need a sword in the cafe?” Akira asked while Rin stomped away.

“Protection,” Shiki spelled.

“It’s peaceful now. We don’t need that. And the customers will be afraid.”

It’s one thing about Akira speaking more often now but it’s another to see Akira standing up to Shiki like he couldn’t care less about how Shiki used to be a murderer who’d put hundreds down. Seeing this very scene pleased Keisuke very much.

“Or it could be a selling point,” Shiki retorted, drawing a frown in between Akira’s eyebrows.

Sighing, Akira shook his head and returned to his workstation.

“Whatever it is, just make sure you keep it out of harm’s way. Why are you so persistent with it anyway?”

He heard no response from Shiki, knowing that he probably never even heard what he said.

It’s probably going to feel weird having duties with Shiki but Shiki was someone from his own world too. That’s more than enough to make up the differences they once had and the differences they shared now. It took time for Akira to acknowledge that and the changes they were going through. While he’s not very good at adapting, he surely wasn’t the worst. Rin was an obvious example, and for some reason, Keisuke was still clinging onto him – more than before, in fact – as if he was clinging onto a past he never wanted to let go. Shiki was… well, Shiki didn’t seem like he even attempted to adapt at all, if his attachment to his sword served as any indication. He still lived in the past, still clinging to the false hope that was the reality he yearned to believe, but that’s okay.

They’d go through everything together. He will get over it soon.

Akira will make sure of that.

For now, they’d need to get ready to move forward by doing something that’s completely out of their own comfort zone and learned how to live like a normal human being again. If they weren’t already one before.


End file.
